


Two Imperfect People

by iffyluv



Series: Little Moments Between [2]
Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: "hey you up", Andromeda Initative, Blasto Vid (Mass Effect), Comfort, F/M, Gen, Humor, Implied Sexual Content, Mass Effect - Freeform, Mild Profanity, New Relationship, Self-Doubt, Sleeping Together, Some angst, The Tempest, andromeda - Freeform, dating your coworker, glorified dating service, life in heleus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-07
Updated: 2018-03-07
Packaged: 2019-03-28 04:12:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13895991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iffyluv/pseuds/iffyluv
Summary: 'The vid played on mostly ignored as they both drifted off, finally feeling overcome by the fatigue that had previously eluded them. 'The Tempest is quiet but not everyone can find sleep so easy. Sara and Liam pass the time in each others company and for once they can feel normal. In these little moments between saving all of Heleus there was no Pathfinder and no Crisis Response. Just two friends becoming more.One-shot, lovey-dovey, feel good fic about these two crazy space kids falling for each other in a brand new Galaxy. Inspired by a random post on the crew messaging board.





	Two Imperfect People

No one had a normal schedule on the Tempest. No matter the time of day, someone was always up doing something. Gil and Kallo were often the most likely culprits but Peebee was known to keep odd hours too. Lexi was frequently finding something to keep her attention until late into the night and always seemed to be up before anyone else. Vetra was also notorious for having projects that lasted until the early hours of the morning. 

But it just wasn’t one of those nights it seemed. 

No matter how hard she tried Sara just couldn’t find sleep. She was debating going to ask Lexi for something but SAM informed her that Dr. T’Perro had retired to her quarters an hour ago. She knew that Lexi wouldn’t mind the wake up call, but Sara decided against rousing the doctor. After a little more tossing and turning she decided to get up, maybe watch a vid or listen to the comedic stylings of SAM. 

When she sat up she noticed a light blinking at her personal console. Emails. They never quit, everybody wanted a piece of the Pathfinder. She glanced at the time on her omni-tool, 02:15 NST. Tann was usually the one sending nagging emails this late. Salarians didn’t sleep nearly as much as humans, their lifespans were too short for that. 

With a sigh she got up and walked over to her desk. Sure enough an email from Tann about cryo deployment for Taerve Uni and something about Angara/Initiative relations and blah blah blah, Sara went cross-eyed just reading the first couple lines. She filed that under a list of things to “do later”, with most of the emails Tann sent. Typically she’d just had SAM to paraphrase and then forget to respond and just deal with Tann at their next check in on the Nexus. 

“SAM, is anyone still up?” she asked flipping through an old email from Liam. He always attached an interesting media playlist that had a theme that went along with something they were doing. 

_‘Liam Kosta is currently awake and alert in storage bay 2.’_ SAM replied and Sara felt her cheeks flame. 

A debate raged in between her ears, he probably wanted some space and didn’t need her bugging him. And remember the last time you two hung out late at night? She asked herself. That thought put even more heat in her cheeks as she remembered their first kiss… which didn’t stop at just kissing and…

> **To: Liam Kosta  
>  From: Sara Ryder**
> 
> Hey, you still up? 

Now why the hell did she just do that? She watched as the ‘SENT’ status changed almost instantly to ‘RECEIVED’ meaning that he’d read it. 

She found herself holding her breath waiting for a response. She wasn’t sure which would be worse, him reading the message and then ignoring it or him responding with some kind of rejection.

> **To: Sara Ryder  
>  From: Liam Kosta**
> 
> Yeah can’t sleep, watching a vid. You? 

Sara released the breath she forgot she’d been holding and found herself racing to respond.

> **To: Liam Kosta  
>  From: Sara Ryder**
> 
> Can’t sleep either. What are you watching? 

Again she watched as the status of the message was read immediately and found herself waiting eagerly for a response.

> **To: Sara Ryder  
>  From: Liam Kosta**
> 
> Blasto, the Jellyfish Stings. Classic.  
>  I just started it, if you wanna come over.

She couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face.

> **To: Liam Kosta  
>  From: Sara Ryder**
> 
> Be down in a bit. :)

Her stomach did a little summersault as she got up out of her desk chair and hurried over to her wardrobe. She was dressed in her pajamas, which like almost every stitch of clothing she owned was AI issued, a pair of sleep shorts and a loose fitting tank top. She debated changing but also didn’t want to be overdressed just to go watch Blasto, so she just opted to pull her AI hoodie over her pjs and keep it cool and casual. Didn’t want to come off as trying too hard. 

That didn’t stop her from checking her reflection in the mirror, quickly brushing her hair and putting on just a hint of gloss on her lips. God, Sara, you’re such a loser she thought to herself but ultimately being satisfied with her appearance. 

On the way out of her quarters she stopped at the bathroom and quickly brushed her teeth and quietly peeked in to the crew quarters. The bunks were mostly all occupied. Even Gil’s which was unusual for this hour, but a good sign because he would always wiggle his eyebrows at her knowingly while she was leaving storage after previous visits with Liam. 

Sara quietly ducked back out of the crew bathroom and padded down the corridor with her bare feet. It was a short walk to the cargo bay and she was glad for the pullover because the climate control in this part of the ship always ran a bit cooler than the crew areas. The nomad sat quietly in the dark as she passed, freshly cleaned and maintanenced and ready for the next adventure they had in store, whatever that was. 

The door to the storage bay that Liam had claimed as his was slightly ajar, and she let herself in. 

“Hey, Pathfinder,” Liam said, sitting more upright. Sara heard the slight hitch in his voice in the barely audible sniffle. 

“Hey Kosta,” she said moving to sit beside him on the couch. “So Blasto tonight, huh?” The screen was paused on one of the early scenes in the film introducing the Asari love interest. She and Scott had gone to the movies to see this one not long before the Initiative left for Andromeda, it had been part of their “So long to the Milky Way” tour. 

She focused instead on Liam, sure enough he’d forgone the shirt because that’s how he simply existed down here. But it was his eyes that drew her attention, they were a little red and puffy. He’d been crying, she realized, surprised. Suddenly she had the urge to reach out and embrace him, it was almost painful to see that sadness in his normally cheerful eyes, but she resisted. 

“Yep, classic,” he said covering it all up with a smile. 

“Is it though? It came out right before we left,” she said. She wanted to ask if he was okay, but he seemed to be putting on a strong face for her so she hesitated. 

“Making it more 600 years old and still being appreciated by the masses,” he restarted the movie from his omni-tool and the melodic voice of the beautiful Asari companion filled the room. “Beer?” he asked standing up to cross over to the small cooler under his work table. 

“Sure.” 

He collected two bottles from the cooler that were filled with the malty homemade brew that they served at the Vortex, and passed one to her then rejoined her on the couch. 

“You ok, Liam?” she finally asked not yet taking a drink of her beer. 

Liam was thoughtful for a moment, he never shied away from how he felt. His emotions were always right there for everyone to see. “I will be,” he said earnestly. “I was just thinking about my folks,” he admitted. Out of all the people that came to Heleus with the Initiative, Liam had left behind the most, loving parents, a good job, friends. Sara had seen her journey to Andromeda as though she had nothing to lose, her career was at a dead-end, her Alliance friends distanced themselves from her and Scott was going with her. There didn’t seem to be anything left for her in the Milky Way. But she could sympathize with his loss, her parents were dead now and no one could be sure when Scott would wake up or how he would be when he did. It was a loneliness had been punctuated with a lot of private tears since she’d woken up in Heleus. 

She reached out, putting a hand on his arm. His mouth curved into a small smile and covered her hand with his own. A moment passed between them, with only the cliched dialogue of the vid playing in the background. “I’m glad you’re here, you make everything feel normal,” he said. 

That made her heart leap in her chest. She smiled, “I’m glad you’re here too, I’d have collapsed into a puddle if it hadn’t been for my Crisis Response Specialist,” she said. It wasn’t a lie, Liam had kept her grounded on more than one occasion, and he was always the first to make her smile after a long day in the field. Most importantly she felt brave when he had her back; he believed in her when everyone else had their doubts. If Liam hadn’t been on her crew, she doubted she would have made it this far. 

He laughed, “I’m doubt that, Pathfinder.” 

Sara looked at him seriously, “I mean it,” she said, their eyes connecting. His warm brown eyes made her feel like she was slipping into a hot bath. All she wanted to do was wrap herself in him. 

Liam smiled, “You always know just what to say.” 

“No I don’t,” she replied softly, “but you always make me feel like I can figure it out.” 

His smile gave her just that little boost of courage to lean forward and run her fingers along his stubbled jaw. She closed her eyes and brought their lips together in a soft kiss while her heart hammered in her chest. He returned the kiss with a gentle reverence. His hand found the small of her back pulling her closer to his bare chest. She was reminded of the car that was slowly making its way to Andromeda and the way he’d so excited to share it with her. 

That had been more eager, they’d been so ready to throw caution to the wind and just find something familiar in each other. This time was different. 

This time was about more for comfort than any biological imperative. Sara felt warm in his embrace, it was as if she was the perfect shape to fit in his arms. Their lips parted softly but they didn’t retreat from each other. 

She nestled into him, letting her head rest on his shoulder. His fingers ran small, comforting circles where his hand fell on her hip. Her eyes turned to the vid playing on the screen, but she wasn’t paying attention to anything but the warmth of his skin on her cheek and his gentle breathing. It wasn’t long until she was lulled into a contented slumber. 

The vid played on mostly ignored as they both drifted off, finally feeling overcome by the fatigue that had previously eluded them. 

About three hours later they were both out cold, Sara was draped over Liam’s chest, her cheek pressed unconsciously to his front. He was sprawled back, his head on the arm of the couch and his mouth open in a soft snore. The climate control of the ship was just cool enough for them to press against each other for warmth but not quite cold. 

It was all quite perfect, right up until there was a thunderous screech and an alarm blared through out the entirety of the Tempest. 

A string of loud expletives tumbled from Sara’s mouth as they both sat up with a jerk. The unfamiliar settings and the deafening ring around them made her spring up off the couch. 

“What the fuck?” 

“Shit, are we under attack?” 

Neither of them could hear each other over the alarm but realization suddenly dawned on them. Liam was springing over the back of the couch for his rifle while Sara ran for the door, uncaring for the fact that she was still dressed in pajamas. 

“SAM?” 

_‘Ship wide alarm triggered,’_ SAM responded internally on their private channel. _‘Processing.’_

“I can see that!” Sara said aloud, but she couldn’t even hear herself. She burst through the door of Liam’s room running for the weapons locker. Vetra was already there having been in her office, she was fully armed and alert. Vetra tossed her a pistol and Sara snatched out of the air as if they’d been practicing. 

_‘System drive core breach,’_ SAM said inside her head. 

“Were we hit?” Sara found herself yelling over the alarm as she and Vetra made their way up the ladders to engineering. 

_‘Negative, disabling alarm.’_

Just as suddenly as the alarm had sounded it had ended leaving the walls of the bay vibrating and her head spinning. 

“What the hell was that?” Liam yelled from the bay floor but Sara struggled to hear him over the ringing in her ears. 

The doors to engineering slid open and a guilty looking Gil emerged. “Sorry, forgot to disable the alarm! False alarm,” the bastard was actually smirking. 

“WHAT DID HE SAY?” Liam bellowed from the lower level, clearly also having a problem with the ringing in his own ears. 

By now the rest of the crew was emerging, looking alarmed and confused. Vetra cursed, “He said ‘False alarm’!” she yelled back down to him. “Someone go make Peebee didn’t launch the escape pod,” she added to the crew in general. The turian reached up rub the edge of her carapace just above her jaw where ears might have been. The crew’s alarm faded into grumbling annoyance. 

“FALSE ALARM?!” Liam shouted, “Mother fucking shit balls cock sucking ---” it went on very colorfully from there as he kicked off the pants of his tac gear that he’d been pulling over his sleep pants. 

“I think my translator was damaged, I didn’t get a coherent translation,” Jaal said thoughtfully from the railing above Liam, the angaran had his Rofjinn half on and his sniper rifle in hand. 

“That’s because there isn’t one,” Cora grumbled, the biotic blue glow fading. 

Sara leaned against the railing, the adrenaline wearing off rapidly. “What the hell happened, Gil?” 

“Sorry, running a stress test,” Gil said not looking all that sorry. 

“Stress test?” Sara snapped, “At five in the flipping morning??” 

Gil was still wearing a sly smile, which was infuriating, “You’ll be happy to know that the Tempest is out performing all expectations. Also Pathfinder’s emergency response time is on point. How long did it take you to get down here from your quarters again?” 

Sara’s face immediately turned bright pink under her freckles. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

Vetra gave an amused chuckle. 

“How did you get down here so fast?” Sara asked, trying to direct their teasing elsewhere. 

“I was in my office, it’s 09:00 on Kadara, trade deals don’t make themselves,” she said wearing what would be the turian version of a smirk. Sara’s face turned a shade darker. “Nice pajamas by the way.” 

“What I don’t get is why sleep on a crappy couch when you have such a nice bed in your quarters?” Gil teased, crossing his arms over his chest smartly. 

Sara was a brilliant shade of red as she turned and marched over to the elevator without a word. She could hear them snickering. Vetra made a comment about how cute it was when humans blushed and Gil likened it to the time zookeepers held a wedding for a pair of sea otters at the London Zoo. It took every ounce of self control not to run away or make a rude gesture at them. 

Everyone else had started funneling back to their beds or whatever it was that they were previously doing. Lexi made an announcement over the comm that if anyone needed treatment for tinnitus to come see her in medbay. Liam was putting his things away and hadn’t heard the exchange from across the cargo bay, at least both of them weren’t getting a ribbing from their crewmates. 

“G’night Kosta,” she called across the cargo trying to sound casual. 

“Night Ryder,” Liam called back his voice sleepy. 

She slipped out of the cargo bay and into the corridor where Cora and Lexi were standing outside the galley, Drack was already starting breakfast. 

“Hey Ryder, ‘bout to start a pot of coffee if you’re interested,” Cora said through a yawn. 

“No thanks, I think I’m gonna try to catch a few more z’s,” she said as she retreated into the quarters that seemed all too big for her. 

At least these three either weren’t aware of her little slumber party with Liam, or if they were they weren’t saying anything about it. Sara knew she was supposed to be the Captain of the crew, but she was also young, inexperienced in command and was definitely feeling the pressure. Sometimes she felt more like the little sister, especially when someone pointed out that she was the second youngest crew member on the ship (youngest being Kallo, the Salarian, so it was up for debate as to whether or not that counted). She knew that Gil and Vetra’s teasing had all been in good nature, but it showed how informal things were around here. Their chain of command was becoming more and more blurry the more familiar they became, and there was no not becoming familiar on a ship the size of the Tempest. 

If Alec Ryder were the Pathfinder the Tempest would be a very different place than it was now. She knew that he was good at seeing the potential in people, so all of them would probably still be there… Peebee might find it a bit too rigid for her tastes but there was no way to tell for sure. It’d probably be a lot like an Alliance ship, protocols, schedules. Liam and Jaal would probably have to keep their shirts on, Cora would be twice as uptight as normal, Peebee… well Peebee would have probably stolen the escape pod by now. She’d be bunking in the crew quarters, likely having late night philosophical talks with Jaal and Suvi, bumping elbows at the lockers with Vetra, and listening to Cora’s asari huntress hymns. She’d just be Sara, the Recon Specialist. Things with Liam would be different, probably a hell of a lot more stressful for him; probably just as much sneaking around and they would have definitely been caught. It’d probably be as much an act of rebellion as much it was a need for connection with someone. But that’s not how things were. Alec Ryder wasn’t pathfinder, she was. And she was still trying to figure out what that meant, for her and this strange little family that they’d become. 

“Damn it, dad,” she groaned to herself as she let herself fall lazily on to the bed. “You just had to go and put me in charge, this would all be so much easier if I wasn’t the one calling the shots.” 

_'“You’ve got your part covered, you’ve got this.”'_

Liam’s voice sounded across her private SAM link, making her sit up with a jerk. It took her a moment to realize that it was her own memory of him and not Liam herself. 

“SAM?” 

_‘I would have to agree with Specialist Kosta’s assessment,’_ SAM replied softly. 

“Thanks SAM,” she said quietly. It reminded her that Liam was the first to put his faith in her without question, that she wouldn’t fail him by moping about what might have been.

_‘Of course, Sara.’_

Sara looked at her omni-tool at her wrist, pulling up her private messaging with Liam.

> **To: Liam Kosta  
>  From: Sara Ryder**
> 
> Rough morning, you? 

His response popped up almost as quickly as she’d sent it.

> **To: Sara Ryder  
>  From: Liam Kosta**
> 
> Well I got to wake next to you, so it was actually pretty good. :) 

That was it, she was crazy about him.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! There isn't enough Liam Kosta love out there and I recently started replaying ME:A and it makes me a little sad that we won't get an actual ending (or a wedding, dammit!). But it makes me want to fill out some content since of my own, hopefully you like it. I got the idea from a message from Gil on the message board in the crew quarters. Probably doesn't fit the situation perfectly but it added some humor to it.
> 
> If you liked it, a comment or a kudos will make my day. If you want to, here's my [personal blog](http://imbabblingagainletsjustgo.tumblr.com/) where I mostly just post a lot Mass Effect, Dragon Age, GoT, Star Wars, memes and the list goes on. Its the best place to send me a message if you're so inclined, I would love you forever if you did!


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